After agreeing to pay Tony Romo more per game to call NFL telecasts than he ever made to play quarterback each week, CBS is going to have to break the bank to keep his partner Jim Nantz in the booth.
To stay with CBS, Nantz is looking for “Tony Romo money,” and a showdown between the network and the face of its sports coverage could be on the way, according to The New York Post.
Romo agreed to a $17.5 million yearly salary in late February just before the pandemic really hit in the United States, and Nantz is reportedly looking to top that amount.
Nantz currently makes $6.5 million annually and calls the NFL, the Final Four and golf, including the Masters. Romo makes nearly three times that and just calls NFL games, so it would seem as if Nantz has a case to be paid more.
Of course, complicating matters is the financial fallout from COVID-19’s impact on the world of sports and the viewing habits of fans as well as some uncertainty about how the NFL will negotiate its upcoming broadcast deals.
“In the last 30 years, Jim Nantz has become the face and voice of CBS Sports,” Nantz’s agent Sandy Montag told The Post. “The network has become synonymous with his voice and his leadership.”
Joe Buck, the biggest personality at Fox Sports, makes $10.5 million per year, and NBC’s Mike Tirico makes something approaching that number, according to Post sources.
CBS declined to comment on negotiations with Nantz to the publication.
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